Authors are People, too

I've been totally stalled in the fiction writing department lately. Probably from the stresses of my infant being nearly ready to walk and having an entire house to pack up before we move across the country in less than two months. Sleeping has been an exercise in frustration, so I'm feeling far from refreshed or overflowing with literary potential.

However, I'd been doing a good job of writing a little every day and I want to keep up with that habit. So here comes some blogging, y'all!

While trying to figure out what I could pop into a post that would be interesting, informative, and not too terribly wordy, I realized why I was having so many issues maintaining this blog in the first place. When you're an author, there's this immense pressure that all things in your life must revolve around the written word. You must sit around daydreaming, sipping expensive lattes, and spend your entire day clickety-clacking away on the keys as you pen your next masterpiece (or scrawling in elegant script in your Moleskine Journal, if you like keepin' it oldschool).

But the reality is this: authors are people, too. We have lives outside of our Word documents. We have children, pets, spouses, hobbies, and other interests that have nothing (or at least very little) to do with writing. What are my other life-consuming tasks? Well, my children are at the top of the list. Then I have a house to upkeep. And a dog, cat, and some fish to care for. We also have a vegetable garden that needs occasional tending. My next largest clock-eating activity would be crafting. Sewing, knitting, crocheting... Doesn't matter which. I love them all. I'm the kind of person that likes to make something with my hands, and be able to view my progress.

With all this digital technology, I don't get the same kind of satisfaction from a finished or lengthy document that I used to. With a typewriter, you could see each page add to the pile, growing as the story went on. Now, you can scroll from top to bottom with a keystroke, even if your story is 400 plus pages. I'm no George R.R. Martin, so I'm not going to revert to using an ancient piece of machinery to finish my works or anything. However, I found a bit of a middle ground that helps me sometimes when I hit a slump. Rather than getting out a notebook and pen, I have a tablet computer and a stylus for it. Combined with handwriting recognition software, this means that I can physically write the words and have them popped right into text without the added time-suck of having to type up what I've literally penned. I suppose that makes all this new fangled tech both a bane and a boon.

What's the takeaway from all this? Next time you're chomping at the bit because you just devoured a brand new novel in a day, which took an author a year to perfect for you, remember that--while they DO love and appreciate your fervor--sometimes they've got other things that need to get taken care of before they can shove you into that pool of the glittering fantasy world you've fallen so madly in love with.

Classism and Horror Cinema Collide

I just finished watching the movie "Would you Rather?" From the sudden rash of movies like this, movies where the ridiculously affluent take advantage of the disadvantaged with a "Would you like to play a game?"that's very reminiscent of the Saw franchise, it brings a multitude of questions to my mind. Firstly, why do I keep watching these garbage horror flicks, when I already know the outcome, and it involves nobody winning? Secondly, I feel like maybe these movies are setting us up for some scary shit in the not-too-distant future. For instance, some whacko with endless disposable income really making people of a lower social class compete for a hefty chunk of change. Oh, wait. You mean they already made that a reality show, called "The Briefcase"?*

You're probably thinking that anyone greedy enough to participate in such a game is deserving of whatever misfortune befalls them. Were it greed just for the sake of money, I'd be inclined to agree with you. However, wanting that money to take care of your family... I find that to be a perfectly legitimate cause. 

Regardless, this brings me back to my point. When it comes to things like this, does life imitate art or vice versa? By making films, shows, and books about these situations, are we perpetuating the idea that it's ok? That this should be socially acceptable? 

As the population of the world grows to ever more unsustainable heights, and the separation between economic classes becomes more pronounced, does it make sense for the social elite to cull the herd? Are they doing the world a favor if they do, or are they committing heinous atrocities against their fellow man? And with the increasing gaps between classes, can you even call someone in the upper and lower class "fellows"? 

Lots of things to ponder on. The movie just got my writer brain working, I suppose.

*Source: http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/the-hunger-games-new-cbs-reality-show-exploits-poor-families-by-making-them-grovel-for-101000/

Guess Who's Back?

If you mentally finished with "Back again. Shady's back. Tell a friend" then you're probably nearing your thirties, or already well into them. I find that my husband and I have a weird tendency to fall into quoting old Eminem songs inadvertently while having totally unrelated conversations. Anyway, rap music that's no longer socially relevant aside... It's been a hot minute since I came around the website, much less actually wrote a blog post. 

Long story short, life with an infant and a toddler is insane. I'm lucky enough to be able to stay home with my children, but all the glorious time to write that I assumed this venture would afford me was clearly some insane fantasy concocted by the midnight unicorns that prance around my sleep deprived brain pan. Apparently they were smart enough to hop on the ark when Noah was ready to set sail. (Bonus points to you if you can name the tune I'm referring to.)

Coffee-guzzling zombiedom of motherhood aside, I've been getting the urge to put pen back to paper, and let the incessant babblers in my head get their stories out of me so they'll shut the hell up. Silence is golden, unless you have a toddler. Then silence is horrifying and suspicious... 

For those of you just tuning in, meaning you've never read my work or are a recent follower, I'll give you a bit of an intro to me. My name is Randi, but my wordslinging moniker is R.A. I'm a lover of music, and you'll see it often as an element in my writing. I have a bad tendency to get 90 million ideas all at once, start them all, then get so bogged down that I leave them in limbo. I want to teach myself to write shorter fiction pieces, so I'm going to give some anthology submissions a shot. I want to write a full story in 10k words or less, not just send in the start of what will likely be another abandoned series rotting on the shelves of possibility, waiting for that fabled "someday" when my children will be old enough that I get two seconds to hammer out some words while they're awake.

My primary series is The Ragnarok Legacy, a paranormal saga that throws together werewolves, Norse mythology, the local music scene, vampires, magick, and an unfortunate girl caught up in all of it who has to make a tough decision.

But in my mental story bank, there's a series with a magically inept witch who runs a cupcake shop and accidentally summons a demon (Sisters Rasputin), another series starring a hunter of supernatural creatures who've overstepped their boundaries(Eater of Hearts), and a steampunk/sci-fi number starring a saloon girl trying to keep her family's ranch from going under (Clockwork Heart). We won't even get into the short story ideas milling around and slamming into each other like bumper cars...

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If any of that seems interesting to you, I hope you'll stick around and check back in frequently. I love conversing with any reader of my work, or fellow writers! If you're an avid reader and want to get insider info, read things before the general public, and have a chance to win swagalicious goodies (now gluten-free!), drop by my street team group on Facebook. The Darqling Brigade is in need of some new recruits.

Life is Crazy

I've come to the conclusion that this life is full of insanity. Insane schedules, deadlines, bills, social interactions or lack thereof, pets, neighbors, and being a parent. I've had trouble, for a long time, with the fact that my time is no longer my own. Hardly any of it. Maybe one hour daily, and it's not even sixty consecutive minutes, is devoted solely to me. And honestly, in six months, the amount of time will decrease.

Some of you may know, some may not, but I'm expecting my second child this coming November. Being a stay-at-home mom, there's a silly impression that we just sit around all day watching TV. I get about 25 minutes of TV time before my toddler is asleep, and that's an episode of "Ni Hao, Kai-lan," the only show he really shows any interest in. The rest of my day is spent cleaning, picking up the same toys some fifty odd times so I don't trip on them, entertaining my son, reading him the same book five or more times in a row because he insists, doing my best to guide him when he has a temper tantrum because he wants to communicate and can only say a few words thus far, changing diapers, taking the brief time he's asleep to walk the dog, take out the trash, take care of my flowers and garden, take a shower if I'm lucky... And if it's a day smiled upon by the gods, I might get to sit down and eat a meal without sharing every third bite with my son and have a bit of computer time before he awakens. The afternoon is lather, rinse, repeat, then my husband gets home, we do dinner, then he bathes the mini monster and puts him to bed so I can do the dishes and sometimes walk the dog a second time.

Regardless, I'm still forcing myself to make time to write. Even if it's just 500 words a day, a page or two is better than nothing. And I know that I feel better on the days when I make that little bit of time for myself. Is it rough, not being able to sit down for hours at a time, just hammering away at the keys while the worlds pour from my brain to the page? Yes. Immensely.

I guess the point I'm trying to get at is this: no matter how crazy busy and stressful life can get, you have to always make time for yourself. It might not be as much as you want, or how often you wish it could be, but if typing on your phone for ten minutes in the bathroom is what you have to do, do it. If you really want to write, dance, paint, sing, or whatever your dream is, lamenting about not having the time to do so takes up precious time when you could be doing that thing you want to. Quit yer bitchin' and get on it!

"Lunacy" revisions, and more

Been a while since I did an update post, so I thought now would be a good time. We're coming up on the holidays, and life is totally insane. Also, planning a Christmas and first birthday for my son is getting increasingly stressful, but I'll work through it.

Anyway, in the writing world, I've had my head buried in my final revisions of Lunacy. I'm about halfway through them now, and I plan to have them completely finished by my birthday (in February). When I hit a block and my eyeballs start bleeding, I've been off writing in naughty land. I've got an erotic short I wrote a while back being considered by an indie press, and I've started fleshing out plans for working on a few more and making it into a series. I actually have a regular novel series formulating in my brain--potentially containing occasional sex, but being centered more around plot--set in the same multiverse. I enjoy world building, a lot, and I actually made everything for this particular world quite a few years back for a roleplaying message board with some friends of mine.

It's pretty complex, and I have a chart of key characters, along with a lot of numerical figures that are either genius or a bit obsessive. Either way, it's really fun to write in, and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you all. If I don't update again before the big day(s), Merry Christmas and Blessed Yule, and happy every other holiday to everyone!

On Independent Publishing

I know I don't write here nearly as often as I should, but having an infant around is more hand-less time than I was initially expecting. I'm about to rant about something that bothers me greatly, and that thing is why self-publishing isn't the fantastic tool it was meant to be. So prepare yourselves...

Just wanted to say that I'm glad to see that some honest reviewers are starting to hit indies on Amazon. I'm tired of seeing slapdash work that gets rave reviews from friends and family, and then more people buy it and continue to sing praises when the work isn't ready to be published. 

Even paid editors miss a spot or two in the novels of their clients. Just to prove they're still human, I make a point of hunting for the one or two typos in each Laurell K Hamilton book once it releases. Having a FEW small mistakes is acceptable, but to have the first page so full of chaff and syntax errors that it can't even be read without downing a fifth of vodka... It's not ok. Just because publishing is accessible to the masses, that doesn't mean everyone SHOULD click that "publish" button right away. So you can't afford an editor? Big deal, neither can I. But I'd like to think that my works are fairly close to typo free, and I've re-read them to the point that I expect my eyeballs to start bleeding. I comb over every piece I put up on a printed out copy with a pen. Usually at least 3 times. 

I also run a small press. While we don't have a lot of pieces yet, I know that I spend many hours poring over each and every page, because it's not just my reputation I'm protecting, but that of my authors. I want us all to look professional, and like we know our heads from our asses. I don't like that the market has become so over saturated that it seems like two things are the most important: marketing and quantity.

Don't get me wrong, I know that marketing is important. I know that the greater amount of pieces a publishing house has, the more likely they are to get noticed. But I don't think that those two things should take precedence over having a good quality manuscript in the first place. Flashy covers won't disguise the fact that your writing style is that of a 13 year old who just shot-gunned a case of Red Bull. Having 90 friends and family members write you a sappy review that gives zero critique will only get you so far. You'll say "O grammer nazis. lawl at you being jeluss." ...God, that pained me to write. Anyhow... eventually, someone of import who has the potential to raise you up out of the Indie Pool (which has become a kiddie pool full of slime and other unmentionable substances) will look at your work based on the amount of praise you've received. And when they do, I hope that they shake their heads and don't even finish the sample of your work available on Amazon, because it's garbage. Plain and simple.

Maybe I'm being a snob, but seriously... Indie authors, get your crap together and DEMAND that your publishing house edit your work. That's part of the reason they take a portion of your profits. To pay for a cover, editing, ISBNs, and marketing. Don't just give them your money and get nothing in return for it! You can do it yourself on Amazon and keep more of the money, if that's your only worry. Being attached to the name of a publishing house. And if they refuse, ditch them. Find yourself some good beta readers willing to work for free to cheap.

I guess for me, it comes down to this: I'd rather put out 3-5 amazing QUALITY pieces per year at a slightly higher price point, knowing that they're on par with what you can grab off the shelves at Barnes & Noble, than put out 30-50 titles at 99 cents a piece that you know aren't worth the dollar.

That being said, you can check out the indie press I'm running on Facebook, to see what we have going on. Darq Deviant Press We're looking for full length submissions, novellas, and will be announcing another anthology soon. Our last anthology hit #17 overall for collections on Amazon. =] We're also willing to look at collections from single authors, and poetry collections. For more info on this, check out our website: Darqdeviantpress.com

That is all. Thank you.

Quick update!

So, the muse has been pretty sparse lately. Or rather, it's been distracted by the other few stories I have floating around in my head, or are in need of revision to be viewable by the public else I die of embarrassment at how horrid they were. >.<;;

I'm working on finishing my house with my husband, we're moving in a month, and beyond that, I'm nearly 6 months pregnant. So... to say my brain is scattered would be a huge understatement.

However, in good news, I have at least been doing editing and revision work on "Lunacy" so when I finally do get to progressing and finishing this thing up, there won't be much to do with the previous parts aside from a final teeny polishing.

And remember: The Apocalypse begins on 12.12.12... Are you ready?